atlanta good food tagged interest

On more than one occasion, we’ve wondered if there’s a magic seaport nearby to explain the concentration of great sushi and seafood restaurants on the Westside. Or if there's a plot to mush together our favorite pizza places in a mile radius.

No longer in the shadows of its Midtown and Downtown big sisters, West Midtown has experienced a Cinderella moment and is now the restaurant darling of the city, where you can find a number of Atlanta's top-rated places all clustered into a few tight blocks. Whether you’re looking to go big or stick to your budget, these are the restaurants you should bookmark first.

THE SPOTS

Marcel is the sort of place where you instinctively lower your voice and add a swagger to your step as you’re escorted back to a red leather booth inside the dark, moody space. The tender bone-in filet will give your wallet a Billy Blanks-level workout, but Marcel has solidified its status as the city's premier steakhouse and is a great choice for date nights or for impressing out-of-towners. Nearly every dish here makes our list of city favorites, including the velvety-smooth sticky toffee pudding. If you've been heartbroken since King + Duke closed, bury your sorrows in the popular, spice-rich cake that's been imported from that menu to Marcel's.

At $235 per person, Omakase Table isn’t cheap. But between the champagne, caviar, and beautifully displayed 20-plus Japanese courses, the dining experience feels worth the indulgence. The meal isn’t just a string of delicious nigiri—dinner starts with a few cooked dishes that play around with unexpected flavors, like savory charred scabbard fish topped with sweet and sour pickled plum. And after the first few courses hit the table on stunning Japanese ceramics, it’ll become apparent that the chef is a collector of beautiful treasures. This place pays attention to all the fine details.

More than just a special occasion dinner, an evening at this eight-seat omakase counter will earn a prime slot on your most memorable dinner card. Hayakawa’s well-designed minimalist space sets a grand tone, but the dinner really comes into full color through the chef’s stories about everything from the family artwork hung on the walls to the gorgeous raw scallop drenched in a kiwi-miso puree. And if you thought your sushi courses would be identical to every other high-end Atlanta omakase, Hayakawa stands out with their huge, meaty cuts of nigiri, which still melt away despite the sizable portions.

photo credit: Cameren Rogers

This seasonally driven, casually upscale restaurant has been setting the standard in Atlanta for years, all at a price that won’t empty your wallet. Everything impresses—from the food (the chicken is herby, juicy, and delightful) to their drinks (think thyme-infused gin cocktails) and award-winning desserts (you must try the spiced glazed donuts with velvety ice cream). However, the real highlight at Miller Union has always been their vegetable sides. Order the famous vegetable plate to share with the table, so everyone in your party can debate if anyone does tender turnips, crisp snap peas, and other seasonal produce as well as Miller Union (the answer remains "no").

photo credit: Andrew Thomas Lee

With its celebrity fan base and tough reservations, eating at this omakase spot gets you plenty of bragging points. And the food and experience here is certainly deserving of it. Mujo is behind a discreet door next to their sister restaurant Cooks andamp; Soldiers. Once you arrive, you get the VIP experience, where a sliding door reveals a tiny dimly lit back room that looks more like the setting of a high-stakes poker game than a normal dining room. Service is swift and attentive. And, sure, do a quick A-lister perusal around the 15-seat counter, but know that the real stars of this dinner are the dishes: a mix of small plates like crab fingers artfully displayed in a half shell and amazing nigiri that recently took a plane to get to your plate.

Atlantans will debate everything, but there's one truth that stands unchallenged: the sheer perfection of Antico’s pizza crust. It strikes that dream balance—irresistibly crispy on the outside yet airily light on the inside. Our favorite is the Margherita dotted with creamy mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. We like taking our pizzas over to Gio’s, their sister restaurant within the same complex, to round out our meal with the juicy Amalfi chicken. It’s roasted and served with a simmering broth with green olives, onions, garlic, and bread crumbs. If you don’t finish it in one go, that's fine because the taste only deepens after a day.

Use this pintxos restaurant (from the same owners of Mujo) to catch up with those friends you don’t get to see regularly. That's because Cooks and Soldiers' noisy but relaxed dining room sets the tone for a sit-down-and-stay-awhile meal. Pass around plates, like tender braised lamb shoulder, lightly charred piquillo relleno, stuffed with spicy beef and ham, and other dishes inspired by the Basque country in Spain and France. When the conversation rolls on, use it as an excuse to order another round of pintxos and uncork another bottle of Spanish wine.

If the moment calls for a pitcher of margarita, chips, queso, and conversation, then Bone Garden is an excellent choice. The patio at Bone Garden Cantina is huge, so when you come with your group, don’t worry about bumping knees at the table. We love nights under the string lights on the chill patio. But if you decide to sit inside the brightly colored, skeleton-filled Day of the Dead-themed Mexican restaurant, expect it to be full of lively conversations to complement your refreshing margarita and spicy, flavorful chipotle chicken burrito with cilantro and tangy salsa verde.

ATL residents already know about this seafood restaurant that’s been a big name in the city since 2012. No West Midtown guide would be complete without The Optimist, but it isn’t just an obligatory addition—its reputation as a top seafood restaurant is well earned, especially if you like oysters since they have a big variety. The massive subway-tiled dining area is usually full of corporate groups hitting Happy Hour after work and couples looking for a romantic dinner over aphrodisiacs, so you should make a reservation before you come. Plus, the buttery lobster roll on a brioche bun is one of our city favorites.

photo credit: Amy Sinclair

The gold mirrors, flowers, and plants at this Mediterranean and Persian restaurant are so stunning, they might seem to be competing to steal your attention. But don't be too distracted, or you'll miss out on Yalda’s delicious, savory eggplant dish that pairs perfectly with warm, soft naan bread, or other items like the tender ground chicken koobideh or juicy brisket kabab. While the food is great and the place is pretty, the energy here is relaxed and down-to-earth, and it's easy to feel at home. Come with friends to sip cocktails at the bar before heading to the club or take a date to cozy up in a corner booth with matching purple, yogurt-washed gin cocktails.

photo credit: Amy Sinclair

The Westside is stacked with great sushi options, and Kinjo Room is our pick for a romantic, moderately priced sushi date night. Located inside The Interlock, the place is tiny, with roughly ten tables and a bar. But instead of feeling cramped, it feels intimate—since the place is so dark you can barely see the party next to you. And naturally, couples tend to lean in closer to each other as a candle votive softly illuminates the shared small plates at their table. Their sashimi is excellent, but we really like the specialty rolls, specifically the outstanding (and giant) lobster box and the tender A5 Wagyu beef rolls.

photo credit: Tabia Lisenbee-Parker

Unlike Fishmonger’s original North Highland location, its West Midtown counterpart doesn't offer a fish market for take-home raw seafood. But it still provides a fresh catch-quality meal without the fuss (or the price tag) of a high-end seafood establishment. The sunny space is filled with large plants and features a retractable patio wall that enhances the tropical feel. Find a spot near the bar where the sunlight warms your face and sip the savory gumbo. Although it has a light roux and is a bit thinner than we’re used to, it's tasty and served with toasted bread perfect for dipping. And the locally loved juicy blackened grouper sandwich is still just as good as it was when former President Barack Obama visited this place in 2022 and made it nationally famous.

Our reigning favorite for a casual, come-as-you-are sushi meal is Eight Sushi Lounge. Your track suit-wearing friend won't stand out in the mixed crowd of diners who fill up this wood paneled venue. And dim lighting from dangling glass orbs also gives the place a little pizzazz, so your siddity friend can come through "designer'd down" and won't stand out either. But all that takes the background since there's great sushi to be had. We love everything from their “This Is How We Roll” section on the sushi menu, including the name. If we’re forced to choose our favorite (it’s hard, y’all), it’s the Casanova roll with crab salad, shrimp tempura, and seared scallops topped with serrano pepper that give it a nice kick.

This pizzeria works well for date nights when you want the familiar comfort of a good pie but with “big night out” touches like truffle add-ons and sweet, fresh fruit cocktails. Humble Pie is from the innovative Lazy Betty team, so there are some interesting pizzas on the rotating menu, like a tasty Cajun version with shrimp and étouffée sauce. And while we’re heartbroken that the clam pie with a buttery dipping broth isn’t a mainstay, it’s better to have loved and lost. Allegedly.

photo credit: Sarah Newman